Article by Gary Burrow (Community Health Development Manager)

Will ‘post-workout’ baked beans be the new fitness trend?

Heinz recently had one of their television adverts banned by the Advertising Standards Authority for comparing the amount of protein in baked beans to that of a protein shake. This was even after a very similar advert was banned in 2017.

The text in the advert stated “High in Protein. High in Fibre. Low in Fat”. Is this statement correct? Are baked beans really a comparable alternative to a protein shake?

Heinz and their marketing buddies know that there is no standard definition of ‘high in protein’ and that for that reason, it’s very much subjective. Food claiming to be LOW FAT must have 3g or less of fat per 100g (3% fat content), yet produce can be labelled as ‘high in protein’ regardless of the actual amount.

So how much protein is actually in a tin of baked beans? Not much!

In one standard 415g tin of Heinz baked beans, you’ll find 19.4g of protein. This is only 4.7% of the total volume and only makes up 24% of the total calorie count. There’s actually more sugar in that whole tin than there is protein (19.6g).

Now, if we compare this tin to just one sachet of whey protein powder you’ll see the difference…

One 30g sachet of ON GOLD STANDARD WHEY has a whopping 24g of protein. You may be thinking that there’s not much difference there - 19.4g vs. 24g – however, the remaining ingredients are definitely comparable. One sachet of powder consists of 80% protein by volume compared to Heinz’s 4.7% – that’s a huge amount!

Whilst whey powder will give you maximum protein by volume, there’s no denying that obtaining protein from a variety of sources is sound advice – especially if your lifestyle/diet may mean avoiding whey protein due to its dairy content. If this is applicable to you, try having a look at the variety of protein powders on the market made from hemp, pea and rice.

The final thing to consider is why is protein important to YOU? If you’re trying to take on additional calories and are tracking your protein intake, then a serving of beans may be suitable. However, if weight loss is your goal, a water-mixed protein powder will see you taking on next to no additional calories.